The Purple Haired Craze

In Which Skulduggery Has Changed

Liv's room came first. She was roomed together with a boy about the same age as the two of them called Topher Kessel in room number four twenty. He seemed friendly enough and welcomed Liv in well. The purple enigma gave Val an encouraging smile before she was dragged of to her new room by Noone.

"You are sharing a room with Skulduggery Pleasant," Noone told her as he led her a few doors down the hallway.

Valkyrie froze up. "Who?" she said, disbelieving.

"Skulduggery Pleasant," Noone repeated, giving Val an odd look. "He is going to be the school's head boy next year. Well, I shouldn't have told you that because we are struggling to find a suitable head girl for the position. Don't tell him, please."

"I won't." Val managed to get her act back together and began following again. "Why are you having problems with the girls?"

Noone gave a sigh. "None of them seem to be right. Most of them took up the opportunity to go for the position because everyone knew Pleasant was definitely going to get the place. The ones that didn't go because of Pleasant cannot do public speaking. We are casting another vote in a month, if you want to go for the position. You seem to be a good candidate."

"Maybe."

Noone stopped outside room number four three two, twelve doors down from Liv's room. He pulled out a key from one of his many pockets and put it in the lock. The door swung open easily and Noone handed Valkryie the key.

"Keep it someplace safe. We are not made of spares."

She nodded and stepped inside.

There, lying draped on the bed was the teenage, human Skulduggery Pleasant. He looked up to get a view from the intruder.

He was gorgeous.

He had light brown hair that sat perfectly on his well structured face. His intense green eyes were trained on her.

"And she is...?"

"Your new room partner," Noone stated briskly. "She is an elemental. Please ensure that she gets to all lessons without getting lost; she is in all your lessons."

"Of course, sir." His eyes never left her as he sat up to pick up the books that scattered the floor in a lazy attempt to clear up the floor. Valkyrie barely noted the departure of Noone. She was still trying to unfreeze herself from the shock of seeing Skulduggery alive.

"Look, I know I'm gorgeous, but you really don't have to keep staring at me."

She quickly pulled herself together. "Says you! You've barely taken your eyes off me!" She walked with a confident air to the empty bed, trying not to look directly at his eyes as if he would be able to see right through her.

"So, what is your name, gorgeous? Noone didn't take the time to introduce you."

"Valkyrie Cain," she told him, refusing to let emotion creep onto her face. It was bad enough that she flushed furiously when she got embarrassed.

"Nice choice," he commented. She heard him stand and then suddenly he was behind her. "Means that you are not only gorgeous, but trouble."

He was way too close. Just because she liked him did not mean that he had to find out immediately, particularly in this era. It would feel like she would be betraying the Skulduggery she knew and loved. She shut her eyes, calmed herself down and gain control of the blush before she turned and gave him a withering glare, trying to restrain the need to punch him.

"If this is your general attitude towards girls, I can understand why you didn't have a roommate."

Skulduggery frowned. "Most of the girls in this school would throw themselves at me if I spoke to them in that way. Actually," he corrected himself, "most do without me even opening my mouth."

"I'm not most girls." Val quickly finished shoving the rest of her clothes that Liv had given her into her drawer. She walked away from Skulduggery, snatching up the nightgown that she had been given.

"Is there someplace where I can change without an audience?"

"Bathroom," he told her, sullen, pointing to the door positioned between the two beds.

She stalked into the bathroom, ensuring the door was slammed loudly behind her.

Gods, she was feisty! thought Skulduggery to himself. He grabbed hold of his own night clothes, a pair of boxer shorts and a vest, which he generally wouldn't wear in bed during the late summer months, but felt was necessary in the presence of such a fine woman to be somewhat modest.

A girl who didn't want to go out with him the second she clapped her eyes on him, let alone kiss him.

In a sense, it made him like her all the more. The situation had never happened before in his life. He had kissed pretty much every single girl in the school, been out with all the hot girls with the exception of the ones that Ghastly liked (he had a habit of being possessive). He, Dexter, Erskine and Saracen were all right old players.

He pulled on his night clothes and flopped onto his bed and watched as Valkyrie left the bathroom. The nightgown flowed around her and yet managed to accent all her curves that she possessed.

And her hair!

She had let her hair down and it fell loose, thick and curled slightly at the tips, falling over her shoulder in a picturesque way that he was tempted to grab his sketchbook and draw the image. Her hair and eyes contrasted in such a way with her pale skin and white nightgown that she could be mistaken for something otherworldly. Her beauty exceeded even China Sorrows' and that was saying something.

He prayed that he could try and keep her from his other friends prying eyes. He watched her as she threw him a small glare and got herself into her bed, turning her back to him.